A Mighty Heart

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A Mighty Heart is a film directed by Michael Winterbottom; It is an adaptation of Mariane Pearl's memoir, A Mighty Heart. On January 23, 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is to fly from Karachi to Dubai with his pregnant wife, Mariane, also a reporter. On the day before, with great care, he has arranged an interview in a café with an Islamic fundamentalist cleric.

When Danny doesn't return, Mariane initiates a search. Pakistani police, American embassy personnel, and the FBI examine witnesses, phone records, e-mails, and hard drives. Who has him? Where is he?

There's also the why: because of U.S. abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo, because of a history of Journal cooperation with the CIA, because Pearl is a Jew? Through it all, Mariane is clearheaded, direct, and determined.

Daniel Pearl was born of Jewish parents. His grandfather has a street named after him in Israel (Chaim Pearl St.). He fell in love with a Cuban-American, Marianne, and got married. One the places they chose for their honeymoon was Mumbai, India. Both worked as journalists with the Wall Street Journal. They were among the thousands of reporters who headed to Afghanistan after September 11, 2001.

After spending considerable time there, with Marianne visibly pregnant, they went to Pakistan, the country that on one hand was allied with the U.S. for its "war against terrorism," and on the other hand was responsible for the creation of Taliban and hosting training camps for Al Qaeda. The two hook up with fellow journalist Asra Nomani of Indian descent. When Daniel goes off to interview Sheikh Gilani and does not return nor answer his cell phone, a frantic Marianne asks for assistance, which comes initially from Pakistan's CID Chief Javed Habib, then the FBI and American embassy personnel.

What results is media frenzy, the locals blaming the Mosaad for the September 11 attacks, as nearly 4000 Jews did not show up for work that day; that Daniel was CIA/Mosaad Agent, and that Asra was an Indian spy. The Pakistani Interior Minister went on record to criticize Daniel for probing into unknown territory, not keeping his Jewish background secret, and blaming his disappearance on Indian spies, while the western media quickly announced his death even though the deceased was an Iranian student.

Watch what happens when investigations lead to the discovery of a camcorder which may provide the last and perhaps the only clue to the whereabouts of this missing journalist.